Breadsticks All Day Long from your Bread Machine

Breadsticks are easy to make in your bread machine using the dough cycle. You’ll have to pull the dough from the machine once the dough cycle is complete, and then shape them into the type and style of breadstick you want to bake

The 4 basic breadstick styles

Breadsticks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Which ones you choose to make is up to you and the styles can be varied across recipes.

1. The Basic Stick-style

These breadsticks tend to be long, skinny and crisp. They’re sometimes referred to as the “Italian style” breadstick. The type of dough, stick shape and baking time is what results in this crunchy type of breadstick. These are often served from a tall glass in the center of the table and people help themselves either as an appetizer or with the meal.

2. The Soft Breadstick

This style of bread stick is shorter and larger than the stick-style. They almost resemble mini loaves of bread in a small and elongated shape. They’re sometimes served with a dip and are usually a meal accompaniment. Quite often this style of breadstick is served with a soup or an entree with a heavy sauce like a Marinara or Alfredo sauce.

3. The Twisted Breadstick style

This is a very common type of breadstick. The dough is rolled out into a sheet and then cut into strips about an inch wide with a pizza wheel. Various toppings are then placed on the flat strip and it’s twisted into a round shape and baked. Variations range from sweet toppings for breakfast breadsticks, to savory toppings like cheese, crispy bacon and even sliced prosciutto.

4. The Sheet-style Breadstick

This is a bit of a breadstick cheat in the sense that the breadstick size and shape is made by cutting after baking. It features a rolled out sheet of dough that is then topped with various ingredients and baked. It’s then cut into thin strips with a pizza wheel after baking. It’s often served with a dipping sauce and is served as a snack, an appetizer or as an accompaniment to a meal.

As you experiment with the various styles you’ll be able to see how different ingredient combinations can be easily applied. There are also more complex style that involves tying the raw dough into a knot before baking or braiding. This starts to move away from the traditional shape of a breadstick but can make an interesting change of pace, particularly if served with a meal as opposed to an appetizer or snack.

We’re going to start with the twisted-stick style of breadstick because it’s easy and accommodates numerous variations.

Garlic-Herb Breadsticks Recipe: (Twisted-Stick Style)

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cups water (100° F./37° C.)

1tablespoon butter at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons yeast

TOPPINGS:

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons of chopped basil – fresh or dried

1 tablespoon chopped parsley – fresh or dried

1 teaspoon chopped oregano – fresh or dried

1/4 cup of parmesan

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)

GLAZE:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of water

DIRECTIONS:

Place the first set of dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order indicated. Do not add any of the topping ingredients at this point. Select the dough cycle on the bread machine. When finished, drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out flat to about 1/4 inch thick or about half a centimeter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle the herb toppings onto the dough so they’re evenly distributed across the surface. Reserve the egg yolk and water for glazing. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Cut the dough into long strips about an inch wide. Twist each end in opposite directions to twist the toppings into the bread stick. Place the twisted breadsticks onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Mix the egg yolk and the water and glaze each breadstick lightly. Bake at 400° F./205° C. for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Cinnamon-Sugar Breadsticks Recipe: (Twisted-Stick Style)

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cups water (100° F./37° C.)

1tablespoon butter at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons yeast

TOPPINGS:

3 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

GLAZE:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of water

DIRECTIONS:

Place the first set of dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order indicated. Do not add any of the topping ingredients at this point. Select the dough cycle on the bread machine. When finished, drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out flat to about 1/4 inch thick or about half a centimeter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter. Reserve the egg yolk and water for glazing. Sprinkle the sugar and the cinnamon over the top evenly. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Cut the dough into long strips about an inch wide. Twist each end in opposite directions to twist the toppings into the bread stick. Place the twisted breadsticks onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Mix the egg yolk and the water and glaze each breadstick lightly. Bake at 400° F./205° C. for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Prosciutto-Parmesan BreadsticksRecipe: (Twisted-Stick Style)

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cups water (100° F./37° C.)

1tablespoon butter at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons yeast

TOPPINGS:

1/2 pound of prosciutto sliced very thin

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

GLAZE:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of water

DIRECTIONS:

Place the first set of dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order indicated. Do not add any of the topping ingredients at this point. Select the dough cycle on the bread machine. When finished, drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out flat to about 1/4 inch thick or about half a centimeter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Carefully lay the prosciutto slices on the surface of the dough to cover as much as possible. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly across the top. Reserve the egg yolk and water for glazing. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Cut the dough into long strips about an inch wide. Twist each end in opposite directions to twist the toppings into the bread stick. Place the twisted breadsticks onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Mix the egg yolk and the water and glaze each breadstick lightly. Bake at 400° F./205° C. for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Soft Breadsticks Recipe:

This is a fairly robust breadstick and resembles a small, elongated loaf. It’s most commonly dipped either into a marinara sauce or used to dip into the sauce of a pasta dish or a soup or stew.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup water (100° F./37° C.)

1 Tbsp butter cut in small chunks

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups flour of bread flour

1 1/8 tsp yeast

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed. Select the dough cycle.

Once the cycle is complete, drop the dough onto a floured surface. Roll or press out the dough until about 3/4 inches thick or about 1 1/2 centimeters. Using a pizza roller or a sharp knife, but the dough into vertical strips about 3/4 inch or 1 1/2 centimeters wide. Lift the strip and put it on its cut side and press down gently into the dusted flour. Place the dough onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Glaze with the egg yolk water mixture after you’ve blended them together. A pastry brush works great for this. Bake at 400° F./205° C. for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned.

Traditional Italian Style Breadsticks Recipe: (Basic Stick-style)

These breadsticks are long, thin and crispy. They’re usually served standing up in a glass as an appetizer or with a salad or soup. They also make a great snack.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water (70° to 80°)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons garlic powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

3 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Add the ingredients to bread machine in the order indicated and select the dough cycle. When the cycle is complete drop the dough from the pan onto a floured surface. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Cut the dough into 20 pieces and roll into a long, thin breadstick shape. Place the breadsticks on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 400° F./205° C. for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Mozzarella Herb Breadsticks Recipe: (Sheet Style)

This is essentially a pizza dough with the toppings you like and is cut into long strips for either eating as finger food, or dipped into a sauce. A cheese sauce, marinara or melted butter are sauces you can consider but all are optional.

INGREDIENTS:

I cup of water (100° F./37° C.)

1 Tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of butter at room temperature

3 tablespoons of baking soda

3 cups of all purpose flour or bread flour

1 tablespoon of active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup of parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon of oregano or fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Add the dough ingredients to the bread pan and select the dough cycle. When done, drop onto a floured surface and roll out into the shape and size of your baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400° F./205° C. Place the dough onto the lightly oiled baking sheet and top with the mozzarella, parmesan and the oregano or basil. Bake at 400° F./205° C. for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Remove the cooked dough to a cutting board and use either a knife or a pizza wheel to cut into strips about 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Serve with the sauce of your choice or as a side for a meal.

The variations are endless

Once you’ve mastered the four styles of breadstick you can explore endless possibilities in terms of ingredients and toppings. The fundamentals involve a dough made with the dough cycle and then shaped and topped for the style of breadstick you prefer, or for the meal occasion. They keep well in a plastic bag for a couple or days or can be refrigerated and kept for up to a week.

We think you’ll enjoy them and you may find they become a regular part of many meals.

Steve Nubie has been writing professionally for 38 years. He is a Chef and has traveled across Asia and Europe studying language, culture and cuisine. He instructs culinary classes in the Culinary School at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and has written extensively on cuisine, cooking, diet and nutrition. He is a published author of 10 books including a cookbook and continues to write on subjects related to culinary trends.